‘Firm action plan needed to cut gas emissions by 20%’

The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) is scheduled to be held in Morocco from November 7 to 18. 

Chulalongkorn University’s Centre for European Studies hosted a panel talk yesterday entitled “Outcomes of the Paris Climate Change Conference – the Paris Agreement: A Turning Point to Combat Climate Change”. 

Panellists said they believed the goal of limiting the rise in temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius was achievable, provided there is cooperation from all sides, especially the public. 

Sangchan Limjirakan, former director of Chulalongkorn’s Environment, Development and Sustainability Programme, said a firm implementation plan from the government was needed to achieve the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. 

“I urge the government to come out with a clearer implementation plan for official agencies to practice in order to cut down greenhouse gases as a whole. This will be a role model for the public sector to follow,” Sangchan said. “Judging from the government’s intentions, I’m quite sure that Thailand can reach its commitment within the time scale.” 

Pierre Colliot, counsellor for culture and cooperation at the French Embassy in Bangkok, said public participation was crucial to saving the world from the consequences of global warming, especially if worldwide temperatures rise beyond 2-degrees Celsius. 

“The outcome of the climate conference in Paris [last year] was a big success because every member state committed to participate in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It was the political will [to reduce emissions] and if the political will is there, it will be a success.” 

But he said the gap between the goal and the point where we now stand was still wide, and commitments made at the Paris conference not strong enough to achieve the goal of keeping world temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius. But he said commitments would be reviewed every five years and efforts further enhanced. 

Moves to control climate change would be clearer at the COP22 summit and that agreements from COP21 in Paris would be forged into a concrete plan.